Coloradans can always look to the West and see the mountains in the distance, but for some who live in the inner cities of Colorado, actually getting to the mountains can be a bigger task.

Thirty-five fifth graders hit the slopes in Loveland for the first time on Dec. 13, some even experiencing the mountains for the first time. 

On Dec. 13, 5th graders from Laredo Elementary School in Aurora came to Loveland Ski Area to ski with professional skier and Snow Sports Hall of Fame inductee Chris Anthony. 

Anthony has been working with kids for many years and has hosted his youth program at Loveland for the past three. 

The Chris Anthony Youth Initiative Project works to improve the lives of kids through educational enrichment. One of the ways the foundation does this is by bussing classes of fifth graders out to Loveland ski area to spend a day learning to ski.

Anthony’s foundation pays for the bus, winter clothes, ski rentals and passes for the children to come experience the slopes. Most kids that come have never skied, and some have never spent time in the mountains despite living in Colorado. 

Peter Zola is the teacher for the 5th graders at Laredo Elementary School.

“Every year we have at least two or three kids who have spent most of their life out on the plains in sight of the mountains but never in the mountains,” Zola said. 

Zola has been taking his class to ski for eight years and said he always sees great behavior out of his students during this trip. He attributes that success to the active learning the kids get to see and experience on the mountain.

Anthony sees kids get off the bus with a wide range of emotions, from excitement to nervous for the day. After a day on the slopes, he sees a common thread between all of them.

“No matter what, at the end of the day, all of them, you can see a bright light ignited in the process,” Anthony said. 

Some of the kids were star-struck upon seeing Anthony, one even asking the hall of famer to sign his lunchbox. 

After donning their coats and dancing out the morning jitters, the fifth graders were ready to go get fitted for skis. 

Thirty-five fifth graders getting fitted for boots, skis and helmets all at the same time was a bit chaotic, but the staffers at Loveland have done this before. The kids buzzed with excitement and quickly learned about the cumbersome feeling of ski boots. 

After getting their skis ready to go, the kids headed out to the snow with the instructors. They learned how to put on their skis, one foot at a time, and quickly learned how to get up after they inevitably fell down. 

Dan Huston is the director of the ski and ride school at Loveland. He said one of the biggest barriers for people being able to ski is location/transportation.

“The mountains and ski areas usually aren’t very close to urban population centers, we’re unique in that we are 56 miles from Denver,” he said. 

After working with the program for a few years, Huston knows the impact it has on kids.

“They’re gonna remember this for the rest of their lives,” he said. 

Mailene Hernandez, one of the fifth graders on the trip, had a lot to say about the day. She said the bus ride to the ski area was full of mixed emotions, but mostly excitement. 

“It was a little bit chaotic, but it was good,” Hernandez said. “I was kinda feeling excited and nervous at the same time.” 

Hernandez took to the sport easily and said the process of getting into her skis was pretty natural.

“While I was putting them on I guess I felt a little wobbly, but it was pretty easy,” she said. 

Hernandez also had some advice for other kids who might be learning to ski for the first time. 

“It’s really a fun experience, but I do recommend having some ski clothes because of how cold it is, and because you’re going to fall,” she said. 

She also went on to say how much of a blessing Chris Anthony was to her class and how happy she was that they even got the opportunity to come. 

After lunch, the kids got their skis back on and some of them graduated from the Magic Carpet over to the ski lift. Skiing down the hill was a good opportunity to work on turns and pizza wedges for the 5th graders. 

Anthony himself skied along with the kids throughout the day, helping to pick them up when they fell. His presence made the day even more exciting for the kids, with high-fives all around. 

Hernandez and other students agreed that if they had the opportunity to ski again, they would definitely take it.